The Challenge of Secularism

What is the secularisation thesis?

• developed in mid-20th century

• proposed that modernisation, industrialisation and the rise of science and rational thought led to a decline in the significance of religion

What do critics of the secularisation thesis say?

• the thesis interprets religion through narrow lens of what religion is for people - assumes that religion is incompatible with rational behaviour?

• also assumes that the increased insignificance of religion in European culture is the same for everywhere else. Doesn’t account for the conservative and radical forms of Islam and Christianity that exist elsewhere.

• also doesn’t really accurately describe what is happening. Surveys have found that people have left institutional religions, but the ratio of people who identify some kind of spirituality to atheists is still very high. People are just choosing to move away from the “brand” that religions have established for themselves.

What is secularism? How is this different to secularisation?

• secularism is the belief that religion should play no role in the running of the state, the affairs of the government, and in public life

• secularisation is the active secularising of society by removing religion and other ideologies from public institutions

What is programmatic secularism? How is this different to procedural secularism?

• Programmatic: the role of the state should be purely secular - all religious views should be excluded from public institutions (Freud and Dawkins will hold this view)

• Procedural: the role of the state should consider the interests of its pluralist society - it shouldn’t give preference to religion, but treat it equally alongside other institutions

Evaluative points on procedural vs programmatic secularism?

• programmatic takes a more hostile view of religion - it is viewed as fundamentally contrary to common good of humankind.

• procedural can ensure religious groups don’t interfere in affairs of state, holding that no one religious worldview holds sway over another (particularly in implementing these worldviews into laws or public norms)

  • but, both might also push God out of the objective, knowable world, making it difficult to God to have an ultimate claim over our lives

Secularism protects one from government attempts to regulate, define or interfere with religion. Religious freedom is an interlocking body of rights - in reducing freedom of association and freedom of speech, you are also implicitly restricting religious freedom.

What is the view of Feuerbach of religion?

“theology is anthropology”

God is made in the image of humans. We want more rationality, a perfect will, perfect love - we project this onto God who has these in perfection.

An attack on the nature of Christianity as not talking about an existential entity, just a psychological projection.

What is the view of Freud of religion?

God is an illusion and the result of wish fulfilment.

• Freud intends to explain religion through a psycho-analytic lens

• religion restores a childhood sense of security through authority figures, who provided comfort, projected onto supreme beings

  • when we are children, we think that our fathers can protect us from danger - we realise they can’t, so we anthropomorphise nature so that this danger can be negotiated. These personified nature Gods become one single ultimate father

• through rationalising, this illusion will be broken when people realise this belief is irrational

What are some critiques of Freud’s understanding of religion?

• Keith Ward - Freud is too reductive. Reducing religion to material terms does not account for the overwhelming numbers of people having spiritual experiences - this can’t be reduced to irrational psychological phenomena alone

• does Freud successfully argue that religion is disabling? No. It appears that religion is actually enabling in a lot of cases - it can enable richer experiences of life, contributing to the gathering of a community, appreciation of nature etc. It can be a source of creativity - e.g. Hildegard of Bingen’s mystical visions inspired her to create music.

  • Freud would argue that engaging in religious practices reflects a somewhat universal obsessional neurosis. Rituals like washing hands that provided infantile comfort are found again in religious ceremonies. Confession is used to prevent guilt. Reverence of the father reinforces reliance and dependence on the ultimate figure.

What is Dawkin’s view of religion?

• religion is given a disproportionate place in society

• it appears to be immune from criticism

• God is a delusion - thus atheistic secularism is the only plausible alternative

• weight of evidence accepted in favour of evolution theory shows that belief in a divine creator is unnecessary and deluded as a persistent false belief that exists contrary to the vast body of evidence

• when reason is applied to religion, all rational arguments for God’s existence can do is demonstrate at the very best his existence is inconclusive

• religion is infantile:

  • reflects the mindset of children - they interpret the world in ways that are not scientifically grounded.

  • it is a relic of human intellectual immaturity

  • a culturally transmitted idea that spreads this irrationality - he compares it to a meme

• religion is repressive:

  • suppresses independent thought

  • fosters guilt, fear and self-loathing

  • religious education is a form of child abuse - they live in fear of punishment

• religion causes conflict:

  • has been a major source of division in human history

  • the intrusion of religion into politics has led to divisiveness

  • e.g. George W Bush calling the war on terrorism a crusade initially.

What are some critiques of Dawkin’s view of religion?

• he overlooks the intellectual maturity of religious individuals - he interprets it as blind trust, but many Christians find faith rhough reason, evidence, and experience

• many religious traditions promote freedom of thought, intellectual inquiry and compassion. Johnathan Sacks, celebrated for articulating the relevance of faith in the modern world, said “the cure for bad religion is not no religion, but good religion”.

• assuming religion is irrational takes a historically Western stance of intellectual superiority above other cultures with more adherence to religion. Religious belief isn’t just superstition or something that precedes enlightenment and rationalisation. It is a deep, meaningful attempt to explain the profound mysteries of life

What is Daniel Dennett’s stance on religion?

• it valorises faith and irrationality

• when people are miserable, they flock to religion

• instead of encouraging religious behaviour, the state should be improving welfare provisions

• America is becoming more secular because religion relies on obscurity

How does Linda Woodhead respond to Dennett’s claims in the Culture War podcast?

(Linda Woodhead is a sociologist).

• programmatic secularism is not actually popular in England, only 5% (from her surveys) are in favour of this. The number of people saying they have no religion is growing, but they aren’t all atheists. They just want to distance themselves from brands of religions of which they disapprove

• everyday ordinary religion is about dealing with health, death and relationships. It is not just for those who are desperate - it is about making sense of all of these things that people encounter in their daily lives

• secularisation thesis no longer supported. Politicians find themselves unprepared to deal intelligently with religion (i.e. a strong policy about how religion is taught in schools?)